Not Afraid
by lostariel.merilwen01
Summary: Courage is the resistance and mastery of fear, not the absence. Learn it. Live it. Love it.
1. Cross My Heart

**Here is the first chapter of my latest project! I hope you all enjoy! Do leave a review, it makes my day! :) **

**Okay, so, this is sort of a crossover with Elektra, but I couldn't find the crossover category for it anywhere, so I had to make it just Heroes, but I will describe any characters that you may not know as much as possible. This is more of an introduction to the characters that you may not know, so I hope I have let you know who they are well enough.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but any OCs and the plot, of course. Enjoy!**

* * *

_June 12th, 2010_

Elektra leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

She looked over her appearance in the mirror, wishing the mirror was straight instead of on a slight angle. She fingered the white silk of her dress, closing her eyes and desperately wishing she was in another place. She was halfway through imagining a nice, serene place with no stress or wonky mirrors, when the door to the room opened and then slammed shut.

Elektra didn't even bother to open her eyes. "Abby, you know I am trying to teach you to knock."

"Yeah, whatever. You know you have to go out there."

"I know, but I just..." she trailed off, unsure.

Abby laughed in shock. "Are you kidding me? You, Elektra Natchios, fearless warrior and assassin, is afraid of walking down a little aisle and saying a few words at the end? Well, you do have to kiss my dad in the end, which is kinda gross, but that doesn't mean you should back out now. You're in a dress and everything! You NEVER wear dresses, E, so you might as well do what you came her to do, otherwise those hours looking for a dress you could actually stand wearing would all be for nothing, and I'll be damned if I let that happen since you practically dragged me all around every mall and wedding shop in the damn city!"

Elektra turned and glared at her. "Language, Abigail!"

Abby grinned. "See, that's the Elektra I know and love! So, you're not afraid to talk to the greatest warrior in all the land like she's a child-"

"Which she is," Elektra interrupted as she rolled her eyes.

"Not really. I am thirteen, so that means I am technically not a child, but a teenager."

"Yes, well, maturity wise I suppose," Elektra responded as she turned back to the mirror and began to tug and twist at her dress once more.

"I am so not getting into an argument with you right now. Right now, you have to get out there and get married!"

Sighing, Elektra turned to Abby once more. "I really don't want to," she moaned.

"Don't be a baby! You're, like, the toughest chick ever, but you're afraid of this? Puh-lease! It's just you, me, Dad and the creepy minister guy. No one else! The music is on a CD, for crying out loud! There's not even a piano player there!"

"I know, I just-"

"You just nothing! Your hair and make-up is done and you're in your dress, so let's go!"

"I really have to do this, don't I?"

"Well, come to think of it, you could leave now and run away, but then you would be breaking my dad's heart and I would have to hate you forever and swear vengeance and all that crap, so really, you don't have to, but it would be the logical choice. Besides, I know you love each other. I don't get it, but you do. It's really gross, but you do. Now, go!"

Elektra took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm getting married."

"Only if you get out there!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Elektra took a deep breath and opened the door.

* * *

_August 17th, 2011_

Elektra was freaking out.

She couldn't find her gun anywhere. She had looked all over the house and still couldn't find it. She had three hidden in separate place in the home, and she had found two of them in their right places, but the third was still to be found. She usually left that one in a locked drawer in the spare room, and she kept the key around her neck. She had looked in there, and it was nowhere to be found, but the key was nice and secure around her neck as it always was.

She hadn't been feeling well for a week or so prior to that, so she had wondered if she had taken it out for some reason and then forgotten about it and left it somewhere, but it hadn't been found. She sighed exasperatedly as she thumped down on the lounge, rubbing her face in frustration.

"Is everything alright love?" a warm, male voice came from behind her and her husband walked into the room.

"I can't find my third gun," she replied, and Mark frowned as he sat beside her.

"Why do you need it?"

"Well, I just wanted to have my guns with me on the trip, you know, just in case. You have a shotgun in your closet, and God only knows what Abby has hidden up in her room."

"Yeah, I believe I know where all the missing steak knives have been going."

"Me too," Elektra replied with a small smile. "Lord I am so tired and sore."

Mark looked at her with concern. "You haven't been feeling 100% lately. Are you sure you don't want to call off the trip and go see a doctor?"

"Yes, I am sure. Just rub my feet while we talk about the gun."

"You're so pushy, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah," came the distant reply as Elektra turned so she was leaning against the arm of the couch and her feet were on her husband's lap. Mark took them in his hands and massaged them slowly, and Elektra shut her eyes and leaned her head back.

"Where do you think it went?" Mark asked his wife.

"What went?" Elektra asked distantly.

Mark laughed. "The third gun."

"I have no idea."

"I think I do," Mark commented, and Elektra shot up from her relaxed pose.

"Where?" she asked, but they were interrupted as the front door banged open and a loud voice called out.

"I'm homeee!" Abby half sung.

"Of course, the banging of the door wasn't a big enough clue," Mark commented sarcastically.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you knew I was here. I didn't know if you'd hear the door. You are getting pretty old, after all," she said cheekily.

Elektra rolled her eyes and grabbed a magazine from the coffee table and threw it behind her in the direction of Abby, but Abby swiftly turned and caught it, spinning around and throwing it right back. The magazine spiraled as it sailed through the air, the pages parting all over the place, before it landed in Elektra's outstretched hand.

Mark snorted. "Show offs."

"Just 'cause you can't," Abby commented teasingly as she left the room and went into the kitchen.

"Abby, pick your bag up from the middle of the kitchen!" Elektra called, and Abby stopped, rolling her eyes.

"I swear you have super hearing or something! How did you know I put it down?"

"It's not super hearing, well, it kind of is, but it's also just that I know you far too well," Elektra called back with a smirk as she stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen where her stepdaughter was hunting for any form of junk food. Elektra stopped to kick the bag out of the way as it was still in the middle of the floor, and then walked over to where Abby was. "We don't have any junk, Abby. You finished it all off yesterday afternoon."

Abby rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault you refuse to buy more than a certain amount per month. It's annoying! I am a growing teen, and I need my junk!"

"No, you think you need your junk. There are apples in the bottom of the fridge."

"You know what? I am suddenly not so hungry anymore," Abby decided.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Elektra commented. "You slept over at Miranda's, and she always has a ton of food around for you to devour."

"Yep, and it was sooo good," Abby teased before flouncing out of the room, passing her father on the way out.

"Abby, come back and get your bag!" Elektra called, but she received no answer but the slam of a door.

Sighing, Mark moved to stand behind his wife and he slid his arms around her waist. "She is just stirring. She'll come and get it later."

"I know," Elektra replied. "I just...do you think I am too hard on her? I mean, I'm not her mother, so do you think she doesn't like it when I act like I am?"

Mark sighed, leaning backwards against the bench and cradling his wife to him. "Elektra, I think you do your best to care for her but not invade her space. She will always miss her mother, but she respects and looks up to you, though she may not act like it all the time. Deep down, I know she still feels the admiration she did for you when you first came into our lives."

"I just don't want to be too hard on her, that's all. But, at the same time, she can't keep getting into trouble at school like this. She is suffering socially because of her behavior, and no one wants to spend time around her. Sometimes she comes out of her room looking sad and upset, and I want to reach out and help her, but I can't."

"Why not?" Mark asked softly.

"Because...that's not me. Once upon a time I would have been right up there holding her and talking to her about all her problems, but I just can't do that anymore. I am not Elektra Natchios anymore. I am not the meek, obedient girl that would do anything to please her father and care for others. I have a past, and it means that Elektra will never come back," she finished bitterly.

"Says who?" Mark asked sternly, releasing his wife and walking around so he could see her face. "Who says she can't come back?"

"Maybe the Elektra that killed all those people, and enjoyed it," Elektra replied, biting her lip and looking at the floor.

"No, Elektra! You have to stop thinking like this! The meek, obedient girl and the deadly assassin are you! That was all you, Elektra. Yes, you did the wrong thing, and you are suffering for it. I know you still have nightmares. Did you honestly think you could hide them from me? I know you are still hurting and feeling guilty about what you did, but in the end, I would have done the same. You needed money, and the only skills you had were fighting and killing. That was what you had been trained to do, and then all of a sudden you were shoved out of the place you had come to think of as your home by a man you had come to think of as your father, that old crone Stick. You were upset and in pain, and you wanted revenge. So, you did the thing that Stick would have never done, what he never would've wanted you to do. You killed many people, but in the end they were all crime lords, people who had killed others and ordered countless lives to be taken. It may not have been right, but you sure have made the world a better place because of it."

"It doesn't matter what I have done for the world, I still killed them. All of them. Just for money. Their lives were ended because I couldn't humble myself to find another way to get money. Why couldn't I have thought more? Why couldn't I have tried harder to be a better person?"

"Elektra-"

"No, Mark, I don't want to have this discussion anymore."

"E, please-"

"Mark, NO! I said I don't want to talk about it!"

"You know it's just going to get worse, E. You have to let it go."

"As you said, it's a part of me. It's who I am. One day I will have to kill again, and I will be no better than I was. This war is not over yet, and in the end, I will have to fight it for you and Abby. I don't care if it gets worse. I don't care if it destroys me. And, as much as I hate to say it, if it pulls us apart, then so be it. Because if I let this go, I will have nothing. I have to fight for you, for Abby. If I let this go, then I won't be able to."

"There is always a way, E. You don't have to live like this!"

"How should I do things differently, Mark? How would you do things differently?"

There was silence. "I don't know, E."

"Exactly. There is no other way. I killed those people, and though I wish I didn't, it's a part of me now. As you said, that little girl and the killer are the same person. They are both me, and I can't let go of myself."

"E, you have to let go sometime..."

Elektra bit back tears. "I know, but I can't do it. Not now. Not ever..."

Mark sighed softly and pulled his wife to him once more. "Oh, E...you know I love you, right?"

Elektra nodded from where her head was buried in his chest. "I know," came the muffled reply.

Mark frowned. He knew she loved him too, but it might be nice to hear her say it once in a while.

Elektra pulled back and wiped at her eyes until there was no trace of tears or anything wrong. "So, where do you think it is?" she asked out of the blue.

"What?" Mark was confused.

"The gun. You said you thought you might know where it is just before Abby got home."

"Oh! That. Well, this is going to sound crazy, and I hate to say it, but, what if knives aren't the only thing Abby takes up to her room?"

Elektra stopped. "You don't think that she would..." she trailed off and Mark nodded reluctantly. Elektra sighed heavily. "I'll go talk to her."

"Good luck," he told her. "Call if you need my help, but I don't know if I'd be able to do much."

Elektra gave him a smile, glad to have their argument behind them. "Will do."

She picked up the bag left in the middle of the room, left the kitchen and walked up the stairs, heading towards her stepdaughter's room. Once she reached the door, she knocked gently. "Abby?"

"Who is it?" came the call from the room, and Elektra frowned as she heard the slam of a drawer being shut hard and the sound of hurried footsteps. A great warrior Abby may have been, but she could still benefit from a few lessons in stealth, which Elektra had wisely refused to give her until she was older. Much older.

"It's Elektra, but you already knew that," Elektra replied with a roll of her eyes.

There was a silence and a few more strange noises, before Abby finally called out to Elektra. "Come in!"

Elektra turned the handle and winced as the door creaked loudly. "We really should fix that," she commented as she walked into the room, but she didn't really mean it. Abby's door being creaky was really a blessing, as it meant that Elektra, with her good hearing, knew from anywhere in the house when Abby's door was opened, and therefore she knew when to look out for the girl running around the place causing problems.

"Yeah, we should," Abby replied from where she lay on the bed, a magazine in hand, but she wasn't really paying attention to what she was reading.

Elektra closed the door behind her and walked over, sitting on the bed. She threw the bag from where she sat and it landed in Abby's lap.

Abby looked up at her stepmother. "Thanks," she said sarcastically. shoving the offending luggage of her lap and onto the floor, picking up her now crinkled magazine.

"You're welcome," Elektra replied cheekily. She looked at the magazine, and shrugged. "It's not like you were reading it or anything."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it was in my hands because I just thought it might be fun to hold."

"Well, I don't see why not! You weren't reading it after all."

"And how do you know that?" Abby asked, annoyed at Elektra's presence and comments.

"Well, I kinda got a hint when you were holding it upside down when I came in."

Abby's cheeks went bright red and she bit her lip, not knowing what to say. "What did you want?" she asked after a while.

"I was just wondering if you happened to know anything about the whereabouts of my gun," Elektra told her truthfully.

The red vanished from Abby's cheeks and she went a pale white. "I-I don't know what you're...what guns?"

Elektra laughed. "You know, you used to be such a good liar. Not so much anymore." She then became serious. "Abby, where is it?"

"I..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. Elektra shook her head and looked around the room, seeing the set of drawers Abby usually kept her clothes in. All the drawers were open, except the top one.

With a big sigh, Elektra got up and opened the top drawer, peering inside. She sorted through the many pairs of socks for a moment before her hands met an all too familiar shape. Shaking her head, Elektra pulled the gun out and checked to make sure it was unloaded. After doing this, she turned to Abby, disappointment on her face.

"Abby, first the kitchen knives, now this? What next, a bomb?"

Abby merely remained seated on her bed, inspecting her nails and picking at imaginary bits of dirt.

Elektra moved forward and sat on the bed right next to the young teen. "Abby, I understand."

Abby looked up to her, tears in her eyes. "No, you don't," she managed weakly.

"No, I do. You take them because you're scared, and the fact that you're scared scares you. It's a big loop you can't break, no matter what you do, and you live your days in fear. You take those weapons because you want to feel safer and sleep better at night, and you do that knowing there's a gun in the top drawer and a knife under the bed."

"I'm just...so scared..."

Elektra nodded in acknowledgement. "You're terrified that one day those people will walk through the front door and kill your father and I, and then take you away. And yes Abby, that is a very real possibility. I won't sugar coat it. No matter how hard we try to hide, they have the money, time, determination and resources to find us. And they will eventually. We have been lucky so far, to be able to catch wind of their presence in the area and leave in time, but one day, we won't be fast enough, and they will catch up with us, and they will try to kill and capture. And yes, that's scary, Abby. But you can't let the fear control you. You have to tell yourself that when they walk in that door to hurt us, you will be strong enough to stop them. I will be strong enough. We will fight together, and if I'm not mistaken, together, we're a force to be reckoned with."

Tears streaked down Abby's face. "Yeah, but what if they win? I mean, even if we defeat them in a battle, they have the people and the skills to win the war. We can't fight them forever."

"What happens, happens Abby. Neither of us can stop it. We just have to try our best, and keep telling ourselves that one day they will be gone and we will be free to live like we should." Elektra wanted to hold the crying girl in front of her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not just yet. She could sit there and give a pep talk, but she would never let her guard down like that. She loved Abby as though she were her own daughter, and she would die for her, but she found herself unable to give the teen a simple hug.

Yeah, she was an incredible warrior.

* * *

"Bye, E. Stay safe, alright?" Mark instructed as he held his wife tightly. "I know you won't be gone for too long, but I know just how much mischief you can get up to in five minutes, let alone three days."

Elektra gave him a strained smile. "I think it's not you who should be worrying about me, but the other way around. You do have to be on 'Abby-Watch' 24/7 for the next 36 hours. Good luck." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss, before turning to Abby, who had cleaned up to see Elektra off.

"Bye Abby. Don't get into trouble while I'm gone," Elektra instructed, giving the girl a nod before turning to hop into the car.

Abby couldn't help the twinge she felt in her heart as her stepmother turned away from her. She was supposed to be incredibly tough and an incredible warrior, but she hurt greatly at not receiving a hug from her stepmother. Stepmothers were supposed to be evil, right?

"Bye," Abby said softly as she watched Elektra open up the door and begin to hop in. The former assassin turned to smile at the two one more time before closing the door and driving away.

Elektra may have them behind that day, but for some reason unknown to her at that time, the sight of the two together, Mark's arm around Abby as he smiled and waved, would remain with her for the rest of her life.

* * *

Elektra lay down on the bed in her tent, letting out a big sigh. Her muscles were incredibly sore from the intense training, and she was feeling incredibly sick. She had been for a few weeks now, and she had no idea why. She was a little out of shape, but not much, and exercise should not be this difficult.

"Elektra, are you decent?" a rough voice came from outside, and Elektra groaned as she recognized it.

"Stick, you're blind. I hardly think it matters," she replied hesitantly, and the flap to her tent opened to reveal Stick, her blind mentor.

"I was just checking that you're alright," he explained, and Elektra gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, thanks for the consideration. I am fine, as you can see," she told him as she lifted herself up so she was sitting and facing the old man.

"Do not use sarcasm with me, Elektra. You may be a grown woman with a husband and daughter, but you are still under my instruction and as such you are expected to respect and obey me, not that you have ever been very talented at either of those."

Elektra fought the urge to roll her eyes at him, and she now understood how Abby felt when she and Mark became very patronizing toward the girl. It wasn't very pleasant. "I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, Stick. I'm just tired and sore."

"I know. I was wondering if you would consent to be examined by our healer-"

"What, that hocus pocus one you keep for the warriors? Please. If I decide to see a doctor, it will be the one back in New York, the one with machines, instruments and a degree. You know, a real doctor."

"I will never quite understand you, Elektra."

"Oh, why not?"

"Well, you have seen so many supernatural things in your life, you yourself have been brought back to life by Kimangure twice, yet you refuse to believe that a man could heal you with something other than medicine. You know you are unwell, Elektra. You can feel there is something off, and I can tell. You have been my student for a long time now, and as much as you would like to deny it, I know you better than Mark or Abby ever could. I know who you are inside, not the person you pretend to be, and I know that you are sick, and it scares you. But, I also don't think it will be as bad as you fear."

Elektra looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his sightless ones. "How do you know?"

"I have my suspicions as to what it may be. Now, are you sure you won't see the healer we have here? He is completely free, no money is involved, and you have every right to walk out of there and ignore anything he says, and return to New York and that doctor you spoke of."

Elektra sighed, knowing the old man would never give up on this. "Fine, I will go and see him, but I have the right to leave at any point in time if I think what he is saying is a load of crap, understood?"

Stick smiled at her. "Of course. Now, follow me, I believe he is free at the moment."

"How convenient," Elektra commented dryly as she followed the blind man out of the room.

They walked through the city of cream colored tents together, and came onto the training fields. Elektra watched the trainees fight and spar as she passed, and she felt a twinge in her heart as she remembered a time when she was filled with just as much hope as they. But then she had woken up to the real world, just as they would have to one day.

They eventually reached a large tent at the top of the hill. It sat there, all alone. Evidently, this miracle healer preferred solitude.

Stick did not pause to announce his arrival, but opened the flap and stepped aside to allow Elektra access, and Elektra realized that he had organized the whole thing, knowing that she would have to agree to accompany him to the healer.

She walked inside, and her nostrils were filled with the strong stink of herbs she had never smelled before. There was a _swish _as the tent flap closed, and Elektra turned to see that Stick was gone. Frowning, she continued to walk forward into the tent, and all she saw was piles of books and texts. It was very dark, and Elektra could hear nothing.

"Hello?" Elektra called, confused.

"Hello child," a voice came from behind her, and Elektra whirled around to see yet a man older than even Stick. He was bald, thin and bony, and his eyes were completely black, much to Elektra's shock. There was no pupil, no iris, just entire black eyeballs that sent shivers down her spine.

She didn't know what to say, but she was saved from having to work it out as the man gave her a chilling smile and motioned for her to follow him, his red robes dragging on the floor behind him as he walked.

He led her to an area behind a screen, and there were two cushions on the floor. He seated himself at one, and Elektra carefully lowered her sore and tired body onto the other.

The man studied her for a moment. "My name is Thaddeus. It is a pleasure to meet you, Elektra."

"Likewise," Elektra replied softly.

"I have heard many things about you, my child."

_Well that's not weird,_ Elektra thought to herself, and the old man chuckled.

"You're right, it's not weird at all."

Elektra stared at him, her mouth hanging wide open. "How...what?"

The man merely smiled infuriatingly. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Elektra was too confused to even process the query. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

The man looked her in the eye, but did not reply. Elektra groaned. "Let me guess, you're just as annoying as Stick when it comes to giving out information."

The man smiled at her a little. "Correct. Now, what is the problem child?"

Elektra pushed all thoughts about the strange occurrence out of her mind and focused on putting together an understandable answer to the question. "Well, umm, I have just been feeling sick I guess."

The old man gave her a soft smile. "Well, you would not be here if you weren't. Describe this sickness to me, would you?"

Elektra tried to not glare at his sarcastic remark. "I just feel so tired all the time, and I feel sick to the stomach most days."

"You do look tired," he commented. "How is your sleep at night?"

Elektra shrugged. "The usual for me I guess."

"The usual meaning nightmares and little sleep?" he asked, and Elektra nodded.

"How did you know?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, you have been through much, and have the look of one who has not slept well for a long time. Tell me, have you taken any form of medication for your insomnia?"

"Yeah, but nothing that I haven't been taking for years. Ever since I was first brought back ot life through Kimangure I have been sleeping horribly, but the nightmares didn't start until after I was kicked out of the Academy."

Thaddeus nodded thoughtfully. "I believe I know the cause for the lack of sleep. When a person is brought back to life from Kimangure, they have a certain amount of power bestowed upon them, but it does not usually interfere with their physical health. However, it makes the person more alert, and incredibly aware of their surroundings. Your hearing is better than most of our warriors because you have not only been brought back once, but twice. Your lack of sleep is due to a form of 'hyperactivity' that is quite common among people in your position. People who have been raised from death often also have horrific nightmares, depending on how they died originally, but you did not at first. From what I have been told, your death was a difficult and horrific one, in the arms of the man you thought you loved at the time, and that would have been traumatic for many. But you had no nightmares from that instance, which leads me to believe that the nightmares you experience are not from that."

"Then what are they from?" Elektra asked.

"Well, seeing as you began to have them after you left the Academy, I would say that they are a result of you feeling that you have a huge responsibility, and they stem from your fear that you will fail and be unable to complete a task set before you. Tell me, what are they often about?"

"Well, my father often appears in them. But it's never about his death. It's just childhood memories all the time. He isn't necessarily being pleasant in them, but he isn't hurting me or being cruel, because he was never like that. I used to have nightmares about my mother and her death, but they stopped once I confronted my fears and returned to my childhood home and the scene of her death."

The man nodded, studying her more. "Well," he said finally. "There is not all that much that can be done about the sleep and the nightmares, I am afraid. However, I do have some herbs that will undoubtedly make you sleep deeply once you have fallen asleep, but as for the nightmares, they will continue. You should know that should you choose to take the herbs, you will be unable to wake up by your own power. Should someone attempt to awaken you, you will, but if you have a nightmare, you are trapped until the morning comes."

Elektra paled a little at the thought of being trapped inside one of her nightmares, but nodded slowly. "Would it improve my functioning during the day?"

"Yes, I believe it would."

"Then I'll take it," she replied with confidence. "I need to be better than this."

Thaddeus looked at her skeptically. "If you say so. I shall give you some on your way out. Now, describe this sick feeling you have been getting." He leaned back and looked at her, and she caught a gleam in his coal black eyes.

"Well, I just feel like I am going to throw up, and I have a few times. I don't really understand why."

"When do you get this feeling? All the time?"

"Mainly in the mornings, like it's some kind of cold that's always worse after you get up."

Thaddeus nodded and a smirk formed on his face.

"What?" Elektra asked cautiously.

The man seemed to come to a decision. "Lie down please Elektra."

Elektra frowned. "What? Why?"

"Just...lie down, child."

Elektra was confused and a little cautious, but she did so, leaning back and folding her arms over her stomach, looking up as the old man stood from his position. He walked twoard her and knelt by her side.

"Relax, Elektra, I am not going to hurt you. Now, move your arms from your stomach please."

Elektra moved her arms and tried her best to relax. Thaddeus leaned forward and placed a wrinkled, leathery hand on her stomach. His eyes drifted shut and he remained still, and Elektra wondered for a brief moment if the old man had fallen asleep.

But just as she began to wonder his eyes snapped open, and he removed his hand. He stood shakily and motioned for Elektra to do the same.

"What is it? Do you know what's wrong?" Elektra asked quickly, and Thaddeus gave her a big smile.

"If I told you now you would not believe me, so I must explain some things first. You may wish to sit, Elektra." Elektra did so quickly, impatient to hear the old man's diagnosis.

"I have always had this gift. I knew when someone was happy or sad, ill or well. You see my dear, when you walked in here, I could see that you were troubled, but I sensed no illness."

"So you think I am lying to you?" Elektra demanded.

"No, I do not. I think there is a reason you feel the way you do. Your body is telling you something."

Elektra snorted. "And what is that exactly?"

"Your body is telling you that there is an...intruder of sorts. Your body is incredible, and your senses have been enhanced over time through your training, but it cannot be specifically trained for this. It will be fine, though. You will be fine."

Elektra raised her eyebrows. "So I have a parasite or something?" she asked sceptically.

"Not a parasite, but a precious life."

Elektra froze. "I'm pregnant?"

* * *

**So, there is the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! I would be eternally grateful! :)**


	2. Tragedy Strikes

**Here is the second chapter! I really hope you enjoyed the last one! PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but any OCs and the plot. :) Enjoy!**_  
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* * *

_"Your body is telling you that there is an...intruder of sorts. Your body is incredible, and your senses have been enhanced over time through your training, but it cannot be specifically trained for this. It will be fine, though. You will be fine."_

_Elektra raised her eyebrows. "So I have a parasite or something?" she asked sceptically._

_"Not a parasite, but a precious life."_

_Elektra froze. "I'm pregnant?"_

* * *

_August 19th,_ _2011 _

"Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts. We are preparing for landing. Should you encounter any difficulties, notify a steward or stewardess as soon as possible. Thank you." There was a click as the speakers turned off and all the passengers on the plan began to click their seatbelts into place.

"Miss? Miss!" someone called to Elektra, and she snapped out of her daydream and turned to the old woman beside her. "We are getting ready to land. The pilot said to fasten seatbelts as soon as possible. I just thought I would let you know."

"Thanks. Sorry, I am a little out of it," she told the woman as she clicked her seatbelt on.

"Is everything alright dear?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, just make sure you're looking after yourself. You don't look so good," she commented, and Elektra couldn't help the small smile on her lips. "What is it?" the woman asked amusedly as the plane began to descend.

"I just...I am just coming home from a trip, and I am excited," she replied half-truthfully.

"Oh! Are you returning to a special someone, perhaps?" the old woman inquired with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

Elektra found herself blushing for the first time in years. "My husband and stepdaughter are waiting for me."

"Oh really? Lucky you, dear, lucky you! What are they like?"

"Perfect in every way," Elektra replied dreamily, though that was not like her at all. "Mark is supportive, kind and wonderful, and Abby is...well, she's Abby. Stubborn, irritating, rough and determined to make my life a living hell. But I love her more than anything."

"Sounds like you got yourself a whole family package there."

"Well, almost, but I'll have the rest soon," she said mysteriously.

"Oh, really?" the old woman asked curiously.

Elektra allowed a little smile to show on her features and her hand slid to her stomach. The old woman chuckled, and her kind, grey eyes sparkled.

"Congratulations, dear."

"Thank you."

* * *

"You're being totally unfair!" Abby yelled as she glared at her father.

"Abby, you know it wouldn't be safe-"

"It would be FINE, Dad. I think I am able to look after myself!" she told him, and he sighed, rubbing his face.

"Abby, I don't want to fight you, but you can't go to that party, and that is final."

"You can't be serious!" she exclaimed, and he nodded.

"I am dead serious, Abigail. Now, what flavour pizza would you like for tonight?" he asked, changing the subject. Elektra usually cooked, but she wasn't there, so he had decided to order pizza instead.

Abby bit her lip as tears sprung to her eye and she looked at her father in disbelief. "I hate you," she spat finally, before running out of the room and up to her own.

She looked in the mirror for a moment, taking in her appearance. She had gotten dressed up and everything, in a nice shirt, jeans, heels and a leather jacket, and her hair was up in a nice pony tail. She had done all that, and her make up, only to have her father tell her she couldn't go.

She grabbed a tissue and dabbed the tears from her eyes a little, and checked to make sure her make up was still acceptable. She straightened herself and opened her cupboard, pulling out the rope she had found at the docks and kept for times when she needed to sneak out.

This was one of those.

* * *

An hour later, Elektra grabbed her luggage from the terminal and headed outside, and decided to contact her husband while she waited for a taxi to come and pick her up.

She found him on her list of contacts, and called him, but there was no reply. She tried again, but again, there was none.

She sighed, flipping her phone shut. He was probably out somewhere chasing after Abby.

* * *

Abby opened the back door of the old, run down house and walked away, disgusted. The party had been a huge disappointment. There had to have been a hundred people squashed into that house, and it hadn't been comfortable. There was nowhere to sit, and people were throwing up all over the place for various reasons. Abby was starting to understand why she shouldn't have gone, but she still didn't quite understand why her father had told her it wasn't safe. It had been gross, but not harmful.

Her feet, however, were killing her. She took off her heels and began to walk barefoot, but the rocks on the dirt road dug into her feet painfully, so she put the shoes of death back on her feet.

She wasn't looking forward to getting home, however. Chances were that her father would be asleep by then, but the fact that she would be limping around on sore feet for days was a good indicator that she had snuck out. That was if Mark hadn't guessed that she had left against his wishes already, which he probably had. Her father generally knew what she was up to, even if she thought he didn't.

Abby soon came within sight of her house, which was up on the top of a hill. It was dark, except for the light on the porch that was always turned on. Elektra was due to come home the next day, so she didn't have to worry about her stepmother's super ears hearing her sneak in to her room.

Groaning against the pain in her feet, Abby began to take the first step up the hill, but before she had placed her sore foot onto the ground, something flashed past her in the corner of her eye and there was a rustle from the bush behind her. Resisting the urge to whirl around, Abby froze where she was.

All there was was silence.

Minutes passed, and Abby remained frozen, her foot hanging in the air. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but she kept her breathing slow and even, just like Elektra had taught her. She thought over all her training with Elektra and the other warriors, and she felt confidence rush through herself. Her leg began to tingle where her knife was strapped to her thigh, and her hands itched to have a gun in them.

More time passed.

Nothing.

Abby took a deep breath and put down her leg, beginning to walk up again. Maybe there wasn't anything there after all! She did have an over active imagina-

BANG!

The ground exploded just to the right of Abby and she dove to the left, landing on her side, and rolling down the hill a few times before rolling onto her feet and unsheathing the knife from her thigh. Smoke filled the air, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. But obviously since the ground had just exploded, something was up.

Cold air whipped through Abby, tossing her hair in the wind and making her dress billow around her legs, but she ignored it.

Once more, there was silence.

"Come out!" Abby yelled. "You hide in the shadows like cowards. Come and face me!"

"We need not face you, child," a voice hissed in her ear, and she whirled around, thrusting forward with her knife, but both her eyes and her weapon were met with nothing but air.

"Where are you?" she yelled, circling around and holding her knife out in front of her. "If you want to harm me, come forward now and I will gladly send you to meet your maker," she screamed into the night air.

"It is not I who will meet their maker this night, young one," a voice seemed to flutter to her on the wind.

"You cannot kill me!" she retorted. "But you can try," she told them, lowering herself into a warrior's stance.

"It is not you who shall either, Abigail Miller," the voice told her. "But you may come close."

Abby was about to yell a reply when something knocked into her, throwing her to the ground. She gasped as the air was forced out of her lungs and her knife was knocked from her hand.

She grunted and rolled herself upright once more, looking around. She was able to make out several shapes in the darkness, and all surrounded her.

Her heart beating hard in her chest, Abby glanced at her knife where it lay on the ground near her feet.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"That, you will never know," the voice told her, but she couldn't pick where it had come from.

Fear gripped her as she looked around to see more and more shapes materializing from thin air and coming forward to surround her.

She had to break through the circle.

Taking a deep breath, Abby closed her eyes and tried desperately to use her Kimangure, but failed. She opened her eyes and took in the short distance it was to her knife, and, in one desperate moment, she dove for it, gripping it in her hand and rolling on the ground before springing to her feet once more and running three steps before meeting the first warrior head on.

"Unnh!" she grunted as she slammed into them, but they did not budge. She swept her knife at them, but there was a clang of metal as something met her knife and deflecting the blow, tipping the young teen backwards so she had to stumble to regain her balance once more.

Abby attacked once more, jumping forward and dealing what would have been a killing blow, but there was once more a clang of metal and she was thrown back, this time landing on her rear. She looked around her to see that none of the other warriors had budged.

"What are you people?" she mumbled under her breath before grabbing her fallen knife once more, and preparing to throw it in on final, desperate escape attempt. But it felt different.

She looked down at it and her jaw hit the floor as she took in it's appearance. There were two, long gouges in it now, from where the warrior she had attacked had blocked her blow. There was no way she could thrwo accurately with them to throw her off!

"What do you want with me?" she asked them, hoping to somehow talk her way out of it.

"Nothing. You may go now," the voice informed her, and the group parted, the figures stepping back to allow a space for her to exit through.

"That's it? You're just going to trap me and then let me go?" she asked them. Something was not right.

"Oh!" the voice called, as though they had remembered something. "There is one more thing."

The figure that she had attacked stepped forward and placed an arm on her shoulder, and she screamed as pain seared through her entire arm and chest, spreading through her body until it felt like all of her was on fire.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended, leaving the poor girl on the ground, trying catch her breath.

"You have been marked. If you ever try to act against us, your shoulder will burn, causing you unimaginable pain that could quite possibly kill you. We know where you are, and we will be watching you. It was nice meeting you, Abigail."

There was a gust of wind, and Abby looked up to find the whole place empty. She put her hand on her shoulder and pushed the strap of her dress down so she could look at it, and, sure enough, there was a large hand print marked into her shoulder. It felt hot and itchy, but not painful.

_Hot and itchy. I can deal with hot and itchy. Just no pain. Now, to get home... _

It was then that a thought entered Abby's head, one that would remain as she ran up the hill toward her home.

_How the hell am I going to explain this to Dad?_

When she finally arrived at her home, Abby climbed up the tree in the backyard and swung in through her still open window.

She looked around her room and found it the same as when she had left it, so she took off her now dirty clothes and slipped into her pyjamas. Her throat felt dry and she was in desperate need of a drink, so she opened her door and tip-toed down to the kitchen. All the lights were off, so she couldn't see very well, but she managed to find the light switch for the kitchen. Light flooded the room and she squinted as it burned into her vision. Her eyes soon adjusted and she grabbed a cup from the cupboard and filled it up at the tap.

She felt a nice, soothing relief as the water rushed past her dry, sore throat, and she sighed when she finished the cup. Placing it on the bench, she was about to turn the light of and walk back up to her room when her eye caught on something strange on the wall.

Red liquid trickled down it and she gagged in horror as she recognized it as blood.

Her father's room was above her.

Putting a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream, Abby grabbed a knife from the cutlery drawer and ran up the stairs and through the hallways to get to her father's room, though she was afraid of what she might find.

The door was slightly ajar, so she kicked it violently and it flung open. She smashed her hand against the light switch and the room flooded with light, revealing a grisly scene.

Her father lay on the floor, covered in blood.

A scream caught in her throat as she rushed over to his side and felt at his neck for a pulse. Her clammy hands met the cool skin and she stopped breathing.

"D-dad!" she half yelled, half sobbed. "DAD!"

Placing one hand on his forehead and the other on his head, she desperately tried to summon her Kimangure and bring him back, but nothing happened.

"Come on, come on!" she urged. "You're stronger than this Dad. You can come back! You can fight! Please!"

She desperately tried to summon the energy within her, the force that she had been trained to use, but nothing happened.

"NO!" she screamed as tears finally spilled from her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. "NOOOO!"

Abby lost track of time, not knowing how long she spent hunched over her father's lifeless corpse. Her hands shook as she gripped his jacket and sobbed into his shirt. Her head ached and her shoulder was in desperate need of some burn cream to take the heat out of The Mark, but she didn't dare leave her father's side, just in case he came back to her.

Just in case.

* * *

When Elektra finally reached the hill leading up her home she was exhausted. Who knew pregnancy took so much out of a person?

A small thrill went through her as she began to imagine the look on her husband's face when she told him. His brown eyes would sparkle with warmth and he would envelope her, taking away all her problems. Maybe this baby was just what they needed to bring the family back together, to make everything right again.

All three of them lived under so much pressure, just trying to stay alive, that it was so difficult to keep their heads above the water, so to speak. Their worry, anxiety and paranoia was, at times, all consuming, and Elektra desperately hoped the the arrival of a new, precious life would be just what was needed to bring balance back to their slightly dysfunctional family.

She pulled her suitcase out of the trunk of the taxi and paid the driver, thanking him for taking her out all that way. He then turned and drove away, and Elektra took a deep breath before turning to walk up the hill and take the last few steps before she arrived back in her life. The holidays had been strange, but nice, but now she needed to buckle down and keep going, baby or not.

The slope was rocky and uneven, so Elektra was forced to not wheel the suitcase up as she wanted to, but instead haul it up herself. Her muscles protested, but she ignored their painful cries, determined to get home, have a hot shower and go straight to bed.

But things don't always go according to plan.

* * *

Inevitably, Abby ran out of tears to cry, and was left with an empty feeling in her chest, an inability to feel anything but a sickening despair.

And then she heard it; the sound of a door opening downstairs.

Instantly, a white hot fury burned in her veins and she jumped up and flung the cupboard open, smashing in the panel behind it, knowing what was hidden there. She picked up her father's rifle, making sure it was loaded. She then turned away, giving her father one last glance over her shoulder before she walked out of the room, preparing to kill whoever was downstairs.

The only reason somewhere would have been there would be to either check that her father was dead, or to make sure she was. But if the murderers that had killed her father were the same as the ones that had held her up at the bottom of the hill, then they wouldn't need to come back to kill her, because they already said they didn't need to.

Abby crept down the stairs, looking down to see a shape put down a heavy bag, that could only contain one thing.

Guns.

* * *

Elektra sighed, rubbing her head as she set her suitcase down in the darkness. It was dark, but not too dark. She could still see some things, and she din't want to turn on the light for fear of making her headache even worse.

She unzipped it, reaching inside and fishing around for an aspirin...

* * *

Abby watched as the figure leaned over and reached inside the bag, and she knew this was her one shot to kill the intruder.

So she set her finger on the trigger and looked down the barrel, aiming for the torso.

And she fired.

What happened next was incredibly confusing to Abby. The sound of the shot echoed though out the room, hurting her ears, and when the gunpowder smoke cleared, she expected her eyes to make out the shape of a body on the ground.

But there was nothing.

She frowned with confusion, stepping off the bottom step slightly. She stepped forwards, her eyes scanning the scene, but something hit her from behind and the gun flew from her hands, landing on the ground in front of her. She started to turn, trying to see what had hit her, but it struck again, and she found herself on the ground, the gun digging into her back.

"Abby?" a voice said breathlessly as a sliver of light from a gap in the curtains revealed the girl to the attacker.

Abby wasted no time and swung her legs around, knocking her attacker to the ground. She reached behind her to grab the gun, but a voice stopped her.

"Abby no!" the person called out. "It's me, Elektra!"

Abby stopped as the sound of the voice registered in her mind. "Elektra?" she asked disbelievingly.

The attacker sighed with relief. "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry, I thought you were an intruder," she apologized.

"Elektra," Abby whimpered, collapsing into her stepmother's arms.

"Abby? What's wrong?" Elektra asked concernedly.

"D-Dad..."

* * *

_August__ 21st, 2011_

Elektra was freaking out. But she did that often. She just didn't know how she could do this. There was no way that she was strong enough.

She walked through the apartment quickly, searching for her stepdaughter. "Abby?" she called.

"I'm here," a soft voice replied, and Elektra turned around to see the young blonde standing with her back resting against a wall.

"I was just going to check to see if you were doing alright."

Abby snorted. "How considerate of you. I am completely fine, as you can see," she said sarcastically.

"Abby, we can't do this to each other. We have to stick together, now more than ever. I understand how hard this is for you, and it is hard for me too, but you have to understand that-"

"Understand what?" Abby yelled suddenly. "That I failed? That I couldn't save him? That I was too weak? Well guess what? I UNDERSTAND perfectly well!"

"Abby, what happened was not your fault! How many times do I have to explain that to you?" Elektra had tried to explain things to her stepdaughter, but the grief-stricken girl would not listen to reason, and Elektra didn't blame her.

"You can say it as much as you like, but it doesn't make it true," Abby said, softly this time as tears filled her eyes. "If I was more careful, if I wasn't so stupid and selfish, he'd still be here." The fifteen-year-old's face crumpled and tears streaked down her cheeks. She slid down against the wall until she hit the floor, and sat there, her knees up to her chest and her face buried in her hands as silent sobs racked through her body.

Tears streaked down Elektra's face also, and she longed to walk over, sit beside the crying girl and soothe her, but she knew that would achieve nothing. So, she did what she always did when things got hard.

She walked away.

* * *

**So sorry about the infrequent updates, I've been really sick lately...anyway, please review and let me know what you think! :)**


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